You guys know Vorshlag... we're a suspension design and manufacturing company, but we've dabbled in LS1 swaps in BMWs since 2003. We put the first all aluminum LS1 V8 into a BMW E36 chassis and have sold the most E36 LS1 kits of any supplier. Our kit is featured prominently in Cartech Book's "How to Swap an LS Engine Into Almost Anything", magazines, videos, and is a popular upgrade to the somewhat underwhelming BMW straight six and four cylinder engines. Who needs the hassles of turbos when you can have a stump pulling, ultra-reliable, lightweight aluminum V8 underhood? The aftermarket support and continuing development of the LSx series engine is simply unmatched.

After 3 years and lots of these kits sold we've worked with our fabricator (Dallas Performance), a new header supplier (U.S.-based, high-end header manufacturer), and a new driveshaft supplier and were able to lower the Stage 0 Kit price from $4825 down to $3495. The quality of the parts has not gone down, just improvements in processes and quantity discounts.

Introduction

What happens when you take one of the best sports coupes ever produced and mate it with one of the highest performing engines ever produced? Some have already called it "a religious experience". We call it the best performing, most affordable super car on the planet. Imagine a car weighing 3000 pounds with 500hp for $15-$20,000. You can easily build a car matching the performance of cars 5 times the cost. An LS1 powered BMW E36 creates the perfect melding of chassis and drivetrain that no manufacturer has ever seemed to pull off for anywhere near this price.

Design Goals

Quality - As is our mantra with our suspension business, the Kit has no rivals rivals when it comes to the production quality. We've taken the steps to ensure we can build reproducible kits every time, in quantity, with the highest possible quality. Now that the kit is in regular production, there will be no more "waiting for the next Group Buy". Typical delivery will be 0-4 weeks.

Performance - The Kit will allow our customers to build "mild to wild" cars. Whether your goal is a fast & fun daily driver or a dedicated track terror, you can build it with Vorshlag parts. The DP designed headers will add 20-25 whp over stock LS1 exhaust manifolds, are 100% stainless steel, include V-band clamps, and fit the chassis very well.

Flexibility - We know that you may want to build your own parts and use just pieces of the Kit. Either way, you'll have the options available to you without breaking the bank. And now there's no "penalty" for order pieces from the Stage 0 kit "a la carte", so you can pick and choose what parts you want to buy and which you'd like to make yourself. We also provide easy and safe online ordering, with no need for wire transfers or PayPal shenanigans.

E36 model Options - We can make the kit fit a variety of E36 models, including E36 2 door, E36 4 door, M3 and non-M, and the E36/7 (Z3) coupe and roadster. Z3 kits include a longer steering shaft and sorter driveshaft. We've also added options for two popular 6-speed manual transmissions - you can choose a drive shafts to fit the rugged Tremec T56 or the latest close-ratio Tremec TR-6060 (600-ft lb of torque capacity!) from the 2010+ Camaro SS and Viper SRT-10.

Price - Since we are building these components in higher quantity production runs, you will receive a top quality kit with similar or better prices than lower-end kits. We encourage you to compare our kit against others, the value for your dollar with our quality components will be readily apparent.

Various LSx Engine Choices - The LS1 series of engines spans 15+ years of production in Corvettes, Camaros, GTOs, Cadillacs, trucks & SUVs, coming in displacements including 4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L, 6.0L, 6.2L and 7.0L, among others. These could come with iron or aluminum blocks, and prices for complete running engines start as low as $500 (example: '99-07 LM7 5.3L truck engine with aluminum heads, producing 295 hp). The kit is designed for the common 5.7L Camaro T56 transmission, oil pan and accessories; the Camaro accessory brackets are available for as little as $80 new.

Keep the BMW in it - This kit allows you to maintain the steering and braking feel that makes a BMW a BMW. The stock crossmember stays intact, which is where the suspension and steering rack mounts to, and is crucial to chassis rigidity and proper suspension geometry. The (relocated) ABS unit will still function as designed. The stock brake booster is unmolested, so pedal feel is unchanged. The steering will be OEM quality, but without the big rubber isolator in the main shaft. Compromises to these key BMW systems can ruin what makes the E36 chassis so universally admired.

A name you can trust - We've been making these LS1 kits for quite a while, and some of the biggest names in the racing world and the aftermarket have purchased these LS1 swap components from Vorshlag. We are also a long standing and respected company within the BMW community, and we're not going anywhere.

American Built - As with everything else we design and build, the kit and all components are 100% made in the USA.

These production built "Stage 0" pieces get the DIY'er the parts you need to get started. It is our opinion that the remaining parts can be done by talented DIYers, such as plumbing, wiring, etc. This gets you on your way to a running car without having to spend time and money designing and fabricating custom headers, drivetrain brackets, custom steering shaft and driveshaft.

Pricing: $3,495(updated 3/25/2010)

We also carry a number of other add-on parts that might be helpful to you for your LS1 swap, available on our website, and we'll be adding to this as time allows. One thing we don't do is wiring - but there are so many harness solutions out there its best to get that from a wiring specialist, like this shop.

Availability

Entire Stage 0 kits or individual pieces can be purchased on the Vorshlag website, or you can call us and order over the phone. Please feel free to call to check availability of each component, but we will try to keep kits and pieces on the shelf from now on.

Where can I see one?

We have sold dozens of kits and there are plenty of E36 BMWs running around with LS1s boasting parts or entire setups from Vorshlag. We can safely say that we've sold more BMW LS1 kits than anyone in the world. In late 2009 we sold our original Vorshlag (Alpha) E36 LS1 test car, but we're already building another Vorshlag E36 LS1 shop mule, and we'll keep autocrossing and tracking the next one, like we did for years with the Alpha.